New ECNL Girls and ECNL Boys postseason structure revealed for 2023-24

The ECNL Boys and ECNL Girls announced the postseason structure for the 2023-24 campaign, outlining the path for teams eyeing a 2024 ECNL National Championship.

The ECNL Boys Playoffs will take place from June 25 – July 1 at Surf Cup Sports Complex in Del Mar, California, while the ECNL Girls Playoffs will take place from June 22 – June 28 at 60 Acres Soccer Park in Redmond, Washington.

For teams that advance out of the Playoffs, the ECNL Finals will take place at West Creek Soccer Complex in Henrico, Virginia, with the ECNL Girls National Finals July 10-13 followed by the ECNL Boys National Finals from July 15-18.  This is the first time that both the ECNL Girls and ECNL Boys Finals will occur at the same location.

During the 2023-24 season, nearly 700 teams will qualify for the ECNL Playoffs across six different age groups and both leagues.

Check out all the information below to learn more about the ECNL Boys and Girls postseason competition formats.

ECNL Boys

For the 2023-24 season, the U14-U17 age groups will have 64 teams qualify for the ECNL Champions League, while 48 teams will qualify for the U13 ECNL Champions League. These teams will then be divided into groups of four and play three group stage games to open the event.

At the U14-17 levels, the 16 group winners will advance to the knockout round, while at the U13 level, the 16-team knockout round will be made up of 12 group winners and the four best second place teams from across all groups. The eight winners from the Round of 16 at each age group will advance from the ECNL Playoffs to the ECNL National Finals, where they will compete for a 2024 ECNL National Championship in Virginia.

At the U18/19 level, 32 teams will advance to San Diego for the U18/19 Champions League.

Following the first round of knockout games, the 16 winners will advance to the next round of the Champions League, while the other 16 teams will move into the North American Cup. From there the teams in the Champions League will compete in a 16-team knockout to decide the U18/19 ECNL National Champion, while the teams in the North American Cup will compete in a 16-team knockout to decide the North American Cup Champion.

ECNL Girls

For the 2023-24 season, the U13-U17 age groups will each have 44 teams qualify for the ECNL Champions League. At each age group these 44 teams will be divided into 11 groups of four and will play three group stage games.

In each of the U13-U17 ECNL Champions League age groups, 16 teams (11 group winners along with the five best second place teams) will advance out of the group stage and into the knockout round. The eight winners from the Round of 16 will advance from the ECNL Playoffs to the ECNL Finals in Virginia, where they will compete for a 2024 ECNL National Championship.

In addition to the ECNL Champions League, the ECNL North American Cup will be held at the U15, U16, and U17 ages, while two ECNL Showcase Cups at the U16 and U17 levels will also take place at the ECNL Girls National Playoffs.

At the U18/19 age group, 16 teams will advance to Seattle for the U18/19 Champions League. There they will compete in a knockout competition to determine the U18/19 ECNL Girls National Champion.